Judith Rant

 Again there has been a bit of a gap between posts but I’ve been thinking about the belief that somehow everything is better about our lifestyle in 2026. Is this really the case? Some things that we have changed without any obvious reason: 1) the Post Office - interesting that the service was more efficient 100 years ago than it is today. 2) the Universities - more scholarships 60 or so years ago & even better free tertiary education in the 1980s. 3) more modest houses - 3 beds, 1 bath, 1 car space - usually without landscaping or paths or aircon etc. This meant that young people could aspire to own a house which they could opt to improve or not as they chose. Of course these things have to be weighed against the genuine improvements like better health care, means of transportation etc.

 Just a quick comment today to say how embarrassing the behaviour of protesters in Sydney has been in the last few days. It is ironic that so many of the people who were chanting hateful slogans would, if questioned, have little if any idea of what they mean. They have plainly little idea of either the geography or history of the region. Do they realise that if the Caliphate took over Australia they would be among the first to be punished?

 This is not so much a rant as a reflection on history & something that I have thought about since the discussion about ‘stolen’ land & ‘white’ privilege. In 410AD the final Roman forces & officials left Britain. They left behind a sophisticated infrastructure of buildings, both domestic and civic, a system of roads still used today as well as sundry other trappings of civilisation. The British were now autonomous- free to govern themselves in whatever way they wished. But what happened? A descent into something very close to chaos. The birth of the Dark Ages. Fortunately for us, enough of that civilisation was saved, largely by the monasteries. Now this is an obvious oversimplification of history which can be remedied by reading more about the period. But does it remind you of anything?

 Well the saga of the Adelaide Writers Week continues. Now we’re going to have an alternative which seems to have been put together to circumvent the furore regarding Randa al Fattah. She is to be reinstated. HOW RUDE after all the problems she has caused. ( Before I go on I wish people would stop calling her a Palestinian Australian- she is Australian born although her behaviour is an embarrassment to all Australians.) The real object of my rant today is to lament the death of good manners. So much of the angst today is caused by a lack of courtesy. The woman mentioned above is one example as is another so-called academic mentioned in the media today. This is Rose Nakad who is facing court over a series of offences including stalking & intimidation of Jewish students.  Also there is the report of John McEnroe’s effort to get himself & his luggage into the airport being hindered by an entitled fan. Isn’t a now private person allowed to go about his business without bei...